Soon to be new owner of Magnitude RS36

[dkoldman]

To OP, all I can say is Good Luck. This thread has been painful to read. Kind of emotional roller coaster the way started with tough advice, the pushback and then boom, the hammer falls. I was just about to stop reading as it was too depressing and boom it all seem to be going well with the fix, but noooo I remember a few years back, some of these same folks gave me advice on two new units that I had to pass on because the Dealer refused to fix items I had identified. My money says the Dealer chose to sell to someone else that would NOT ask questions about the issues they new persisted. I suggest you get a hotel and stay in Indiana until they go over your coach 100%. I think your story will end well but take advantage of allowing Thor to fix for you.

[elbenson]

Does anyone here happen to have a contact for the Thor Service (not the help desk) at Wakarusa. Supposedly I have an appointment there, but have been unable to receive exact details about location and where to meet the service center folks.

They are also not committing to fix anything just that they will "look at it". They claim the Onan Generator Technician will not commit to coming out. I asked if it was possible just to swap to a new unit. The response was "you will need to talk to our service department and their CALL BACK time is over 3 weeks".

They want me to "stop by" but I have no idea what they will do, no one will tell me anything and I cannot even get them to give me an appointment time or address. They keep passing my around and the person I originally talked to went on vacation.

This has been really the most frustrating experience ever had.

Eric

[Judge]

Originally Posted by elbenson

Does anyone here happen to have a contact for the Thor Service (not the help desk) at Wakarusa. Supposedly I have an appointment there, but have been unable to receive exact details about location and where to meet the service center folks.

They are also not committing to fix anything just that they will "look at it". They claim the Onan Generator Technician will not commit to coming out. I asked if it was possible just to swap to a new unit. The response was "you will need to talk to our service department and their CALL BACK time is over 3 weeks".

They want me to "stop by" but I have no idea what they will do, no one will tell me anything and I cannot even get them to give me an appointment time or address. They keep passing my around and the person I originally talked to went on vacation.

This has been really the most frustrating experience ever had.

Eric

I will send you a PM......

[elbenson]

I am officially done with Thor. After multiple attempts to contact customer service and the service department they have provided no indication and unwillingness to fix the coach. They told me to "stop by at my agreed upon time" that I had never been agreed to because they were waiting to confirm the Onan generator tech. They told me Onan will not commit to the time and no one will even tell me if they will replace the generator or attempt to fix it an other problem.

When we return from our trip. We will be getting rid of the pice of junk coach as I do not have the energy to deal with this poorly designed and assembled coach and a company that obviously puts customer service and quality last. We will take our time and purchase a coach from a company that will stand behind their product.

Life lesson for me and now it will be my mission to help make sure folks do not make the same mistake that I did thinking Thor can produce a quality coach and stand by their products.

On a good note, the Ford chassis is the only good thing on here. It is great to drive and pulled every mountain pass really well even in 100deg heat. Thor ruined it by putting their box on top of it.

Eric

[Judge]

Originally Posted by elbenson

I am officially done with Thor. After multiple attempts to contact customer service and the service department they have provided no indication and unwillingness to fix the coach. They told me to "stop by at my agreed upon time" that I had never been agreed to because they were waiting to confirm the Onan generator tech. They told me Onan will not commit to the time and no one will even tell me if they will replace the generator or attempt to fix it an other problem.

When we return from our trip. We will be getting rid of the pice of junk coach as I do not have the energy to deal with this poorly designed and assembled coach and a company that obviously puts customer service and quality last. We will take our time and purchase a coach from a company that will stand behind their product.

Life lesson for me and now it will be my mission to help make sure folks do not make the same mistake that I did thinking Thor can produce a quality coach and stand by their products.

On a good note, the Ford chassis is the only good thing on here. It is great to drive and pulled every mountain pass really well even in 100deg heat. Thor ruined it by putting their box on top of it.

Eric

I'm sorry that the Service Center didn't step up for you. I have had two good experiences there with the people, the customer service and the quality of their work.

It is clear that they are overwhelmed between Thor pushing coaches out the door as fast they can to meet the spike in demand and the further decline in quality and workmanship.

Finding a solid dealer and manufacturer is like winning the lottery. It won't be easy as many have similar issues... some more.... some less.

I recommend that you tour plants of the models you are considering so you can see what they do, how they do it and the quality of the work and materials. If you want to stick with a Super C, I would recommend you look at Renegade and Dynamax. You will pay a lot more money but you may come to find that it is worth it.

I would also look at Nexus even though some people have said negative things about them. The materials they use in the construction of the Ghost are top shelf. They even use the same solid material for the dinette table that they use for the kitchen counters... when some others use particle board.

I personally had high hopes with the Omni / Magnitude lineup when it was released. At the moment our coach is stabilized and we are happy with it. As long as it holds up on our upcoming 7-week / 550 mile trip, we'll probably hold on to it. If I have any major issues that I can't address myself during the trip, then I will be going down a similar path.

Good luck in your search and let us know where you end up.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by elbenson

I am officially done with Thor. After multiple attempts to contact customer service and the service department they have provided no indication and unwillingness to fix the coach. They told me to "stop by at my agreed upon time" that I had never been agreed to because they were waiting to confirm the Onan generator tech. They told me Onan will not commit to the time and no one will even tell me if they will replace the generator or attempt to fix it an other problem.

When we return from our trip. We will be getting rid of the pice of junk coach as I do not have the energy to deal with this poorly designed and assembled coach and a company that obviously puts customer service and quality last. We will take our time and purchase a coach from a company that will stand behind their product.

Eric

What company will that be? If your generator is a problem why not take it to Onan instead of Thor or your dealer? I’ve had coaches from Thor, Winnebago, Fleetwood and Newmar and all have had significant problems. My Thor Freedom Elite had relatively few and had outstanding support from Thor. The Winnebago had the most problems and rather poor factory support. My current Newmar is somewhere in the middle, though it is far and away my favorite. Took us four tries to figure out what we really want!! In any event, good luck in your future travels.

[Judge]

Pete is right.... if your generator is your biggest issue, there are lots of Onan dealer's out there.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Judge

I'm sorry that the Service Center didn't step up for you. I have had two good experiences there with the people, the customer service and the quality of their work.

It is clear that they are overwhelmed between Thor pushing coaches out the door as fast they can to meet the spike in demand and the further decline in quality and workmanship.

Finding a solid dealer and manufacturer is like winning the lottery. It won't be easy as many have similar issues... some more.... some less.

I recommend that you tour plants of the models you are considering so you can see what they do, how they do it and the quality of the work and materials. If you want to stick with a Super C, I would recommend you look at Renegade and Dynamax. You will pay a lot more money but you may come to find that it is worth it.

I would also look at Nexus even though some people have said negative things about them. The materials they use in the construction of the Ghost are top shelf. They even use the same solid material for the dinette table that they use for the kitchen counters... when some others use particle board.

I personally had high hopes with the Omni / Magnitude lineup when it was released. At the moment our coach is stabilized and we are happy with it. As long as it holds up on our upcoming 7-week / 550 mile trip, we'll probably hold on to it. If I have any major issues that I can't address myself during the trip, then I will be going down a similar path.

Good luck in your search and let us know where you end up.

FWIW, My Accolade has the same solid surface dinette as the countertops.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by elbenson

I am officially done with Thor. After multiple attempts to contact customer service and the service department they have provided no indication and unwillingness to fix the coach. They told me to "stop by at my agreed upon time" that I had never been agreed to because they were waiting to confirm the Onan generator tech. They told me Onan will not commit to the time and no one will even tell me if they will replace the generator or attempt to fix it an other problem.

When we return from our trip. We will be getting rid of the pice of junk coach as I do not have the energy to deal with this poorly designed and assembled coach and a company that obviously puts customer service and quality last. We will take our time and purchase a coach from a company that will stand behind their product.

Life lesson for me and now it will be my mission to help make sure folks do not make the same mistake that I did thinking Thor can produce a quality coach and stand by their products.

On a good note, the Ford chassis is the only good thing on here. It is great to drive and pulled every mountain pass really well even in 100deg heat. Thor ruined it by putting their box on top of it.

Eric

You sound like me exactly 2 years ago. Difference is/was that I had not actually bought or owned an RV before. I was wanting desperately to get in a TMC because of price point primarily. I viewed all of the other options as too expensive for what we needed. But I will never forget two awful bad experiences dealing with TMC Dealers with issues with RVs we had attempted to buy. The FACT that they would NOT do exactly as you seek as to simply COMMIT to fix for us given that the sale was pending with check in hand for them; was all I needed to know. I walked and NEVER looked back.

My experience with LaMesa RV (Port St. Lucie, Florida), McClains RV Rockwall, Texas and Winnebago Industries in Iowa has been nothing but Spectacular Granted it has only been two years, but the only issue of note I have had that was truly a mfg defect was the plumbing above the Gray tank became disconnected, or was never connected to begin with? I only learned about it due to mistake of thinking the Winnebago plumbing was designed like Thor's The Thor's plumbed the bathroom sink to the Black tank. One day the Winnebago tank gauge correctly told us the Gray was FULL; so we started using the bathroom sink thinking it was going to the Black; but it was going to Gray and it overfilled the Gray into lower compartments Winnebago had a local dealer that I did not buy from fix within 5 days.

To be honest, I have no vision or thoughts of selling my RV for at least another 8 years or so; but it would be very difficult for me to buy another coach that was NOT a Winnebago just based on personal experiences and what I read on the various forums. Oddly I credit this Thor Forum with helping me to get it right It has been two years, and I still get Customer Surveys direct from Winnebago seems like every other month. I don't think they do that just to pile up junk complaints. Sure every Mfg has quality problems, but their Dealer network is customer facing. When that 1st level fails; if the Mfg Customer Service can't step up and close out the concern; then yes it is time to move on regardless of who the RV Mfg is.

[EA37TS]

During our travels the past few days I’ve seen twice as many Dynamax Isata 5’s on the road as I’ve seen Thor Super C’s. And that Burgandy and Gold paint scheme stands out in a crowd or a mile away on the road.

Come to think of it I have only seen two or three Thor Super C versions in the past 2 months on the road. The most common Super C I’ve seen is the Jayco Seneca by a ratio of about 3:1 over all other Super C’s.

[elbenson]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

What company will that be? If your generator is a problem why not take it to Onan instead of Thor or your dealer? I’ve had coaches from Thor, Winnebago, Fleetwood and Newmar and all have had significant problems. My Thor Freedom Elite had relatively few and had outstanding support from Thor. The Winnebago had the most problems and rather poor factory support. My current Newmar is somewhere in the middle, though it is far and away my favorite. Took us four tries to figure out what we really want!! In any event, good luck in your future travels.

100% Agee. But after calling at least 5 Onan generator repair / dealers all of them were at least 1.5 weeks to 3.5 weeks out. I couldn’t find any near where we were in upstate NY. If I was not 3,500 miles from home I for sure would have more options. Seems everyone is so backed up with service these days.

Thor had an opportunity to help out and they for whatever reason they felt they did not want to make it happen.

[Judge]

Take a look at the Dynamax Force. That would be my first choice. I like the 34KD HD but if you need a bunkhouse model they have the 37BD HD.

The Renegade Valenica is pretty nice too (second pic).

[Judge]

Unfortunately Dynamax dropped the Isata 36DS with the really nice rear cap. They only have the 34DS for 2022 and it's just not quite as nice looking.

The Dynamax Isata now has a list price under the Omni / Magnitude so if I was in the market today in that price range, it would defintely be an Isata.... even though I am not a Ram guy.

[elbenson]

And my entire saga finally is coming to a close. The Thor Magnitude RS36 was sold back to the dealer last Friday. I have a Renegade Valencia 38BB on order and should get in the next month or so. Hoping the reputation and build quality of the Renegade lives up to their reputation.

Wanted to thank the folks here for feedback and comments. Owning an RV is never easy, but the trips with the family are so enjoyable and memories that last a very long time.


Eric

[Jimmers]

Congrats to you.
I hope all of your journeys are fun filled and memorable.
Sorry you had to endure the last saga, it should not be that way.

[williamprunty]

Okay here’s a new one, had rain, no wind, and found this the next day. Water on the floor and under the bunk.. Jacks down and level. It was a hard rain, but straight down.

[williamprunty]

Originally Posted by elbenson

And my entire saga finally is coming to a close. The Thor Magnitude RS36 was sold back to the dealer last Friday. I have a Renegade Valencia 38BB on order and should get in the next month or so. Hoping the reputation and build quality of the Renegade lives up to their reputation.

Wanted to thank the folks here for feedback and comments. Owning an RV is never easy, but the trips with the family are so enjoyable and memories that last a very long time.


Eric

How much if a hit did you take. I’ve been considering selling my unit (2022 RB34) outright. Tried trading it in but they quoted me a ridiculous trade in value. $95,000 under retail.

[elbenson]

Originally Posted by williamprunty

How much if a hit did you take. I’ve been considering selling my unit (2022 RB34) outright. Tried trading it in but they quoted me a ridiculous trade in value. $95,000 under retail.

It was a total of ~55k (dealer gave me ~$30k less than I paid). But, since I live in the great stead of Taxifornia where they tax vehicle purchases at ~10% that was a good amount of the loss. Plus, I got the privilege of paying taxes on the next one I purchased as well.

But, I truly hated the unit (and Thor in general) after all the issues, and the management disliked it even more, so you really can't put a price on your family's sanity .

We did take our first trip in our new Renegade Valencia, and it is 100000000000x times better than the Magnitude. Just a much higher quality coach all around in every single aspect. They actually cared how it was put together. I still expect some small issues, but the layout and the assembly that went into behind the scenes really makes it a clear winner. I wish I would have went this route the first time.


Eric

[williamprunty]

Well I’m not sure what direction I’m going to end up going. It’s going on consignment at the local dealership, I guess I will see what happens.